Producer Spotlights

Last month, we were excited to share the story of the Zittel family of Amos Zittel and Sons, the very first farm to join our New York State Grown & Certified program 10 years ago. We are grateful that the Zittel family and many other farms and producers have been with us from the very beginning, and we are also so pleased that the program continues to grow with the addition of new commodities, farms, packers, retailers, and more.

This month, we’d like to introduce you to Collins Family Maple, our newest farm to join the New York State Grown & Certified program.  Collins Family Maple, located in Verona, NY, was officially launched by Neil Collin and his family in November 2025, but they have long been in the maple business. In fact, Neil was first introduced to the craft of sugar making at the age of 10 when his father shared with him his hobby of producing maple. Ever since, the Collins family has been collecting sap on their land, growing year by year. Today, more than two decades later, they tap approximately 8,000 trees and process and bottle their own maple syrup in their brand-new sugarhouse.

The Collins were proud to open the doors of their new facility for Maple Weekends for the very first time this past March and have been busy, with the help of their four children, making and selling maple syrup, maple cream, maple molded sugar, and granulated maple sugar. After what was a very successful season, the family hopes to continue to grow their operation and eventually see the next generation run the sugar house.

The Collins joined New York State Grown & Certified at the end of March and are excited for the opportunities the program provides its participants, from connections to new markets to marketing and promotions. We congratulate the Collins family on their hard-earned successes, the expansion of their operation, and we welcome them to the program!